Suli Forum Conference 2025

Date of publication: April 20, 2025

On 16-18 April 2025, Filip Sommer, Director of the Prague Center for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO University, participated in the international conference Suli Forum 2025, held at the American University of Iraq in Sulaymaniyah (AUIS). The conference focused on contemporary Iraqi political and security issues and the country’s position within the Middle East region in the new global geopolitical order.

Other topics included the upcoming Iraqi (national) parliamentary elections to be held in November 2025, or the current political and security set-up in Syria under the leadership of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and the relationship between HTS and the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) or the Syrian National Army (SNA) brigades. In this context, the role of Iran in Iraq and Baghdad’s role in the so-called Axis of Resistance (and its position in post-Assad Syria) were discussed. Energy issues were also addressed – for example, Iraq’s dependence on oil exports and the general energy situation in the region.

The environmental situation in Iraq and the wider region, as well as its impact on the regional geopolitical constellation, were also discussed. For example, this panel explored how Iraq and other countries in the region are preparing for a future in which climate change will affect patterns of population displacement and the focus of public health research.

The conference also featured several One-on-One panels with, for example, Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the al-Hikma political movement, Hayyan Abdul Ghani, Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Petroleum, and Dr. Comfort Ero, president of the International Crisis Group (ICG). Speakers at the conference included Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Masrour Barzani, and KRG President Nechirvan Barzani. Within AUIS, it is important to mention the role of former Iraqi President Barham Salih, who founded AUIS and hosted the event.

At the end of both days, closed roundtables were held on various topics, such as the role of the young generation in Iraq’s future. Filip Sommer participated in the roundtable on “Security and Civilians in Gaza, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon”.